King Spa & Sauna Restaurant, Niles

razbry in the Good Eats in Niles thread wrote:So we opted to eat in the King Spa cafe. I opted for the seafood pancake (very heavy and greasy), and my sister opted for a beef dish. Both were way too big in portions, and you can't really save it to take home for later. Most of the clientele were Korean, and they were slurping some nice looking soups. If/when I go back; I'd try one of those. They also have some nice smoothies. I got a Kiwi smoothie...very nice.

As far as I can tell, razbry has been the only person to comment on the restaurant inside King Spa & Sauna, located next door to H-Mart in Niles. I made my first visit to King today. The restaurant is located in the main hall, off of which the themed dry-sauna and massage rooms radiate. From this sign in the women's locker room, one might easily think the restaurant is the most generic of King's offerings.



The restaurant, it turned out, was not necessarily without personality but was definitely the most subdued area of the King complex, which overall I found very loud and not very relaxing. In fact, the large dining area was practically empty when I decided to take a break from the pools and sauna rooms.



The restaurant's menu consists of traditional Korean fare, with a few sushi rolls thrown in for good measure. Visitors order at the counter and then are summoned by those buzzing coaster devices when their food is ready.



I generally try to adhere to some basic ayurvedic principles, so feeling somewhat agitated from the noise in the saunas, I wanted to get something to eat that would mellow me out rather than further fire me up. I chose the sullungtang, which came with the traditional side of sea salt and a few panchan.









Indeed, the sullungtang was very soothing with its mild, milky broth, thin slices of tender beef and confetti of green onions. The panchan were vibrant and crisp, perhaps the most stellar part of the meal. I also ordered a small sickhae, the grainy sweetness of which somewhat clashed with the flavors of my food but was otherwise an enjoyable beverage.



Monica Eng in her article about King for the Trib mentioned the baked eggs, which I'll have to try on a day when I haven't already had eggs for breakfast. The baked eggs must be a popular snack at King, for the number of orders available for the taking multiplied vastly between the start and end of my meal.





If the Korean fare and maki don't appeal, perhaps Slim Jims, Fritos and Starburst will. (Note that King carries American Cheetos, not any of the Korean Cheetos I found next door at H-Mart.)





There is no money exchanged at the restaurant at King. Instead, the restaurant scans the sensor that comes with each visitor's locker key, and charges are settled at the front desk upon exit. My soup and drink came to $13.25 with tax. I didn't think about it during my meal or when I was checking out of the spa, but I'm not sure what one would do to leave a tip. There was no option even on my final bill. King Spa is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, but I believe the restaurant is closed between 3 and 6am.

Overall, I think the food at King is better than it needs to be for a captive audience. And though the more modest, run-down Paradise Sauna on Montrose may remain my Korean bath house of choice in Chicago, it did feel luxurious not to have to change into street clothes and leave the King building to get something substantial to eat. I ended up going to H-Mart afterward, anyway, because I had made the drive all the way out to Niles and also because I wanted to see the live baby octopi that budrichard mentioned. I found the tank, but, unfortunately, there were no more "octopu."



King Spa & Sauna
809 Civic Center Drive
Niles, IL 60714
847-583-8078
http://www.kingspa.com/chicago.php

Ah, you went...I was wondering if you would. I'd like to go back sometime in Feb. or March and have my skin scrubbed off again. Maybe I'll try the dishes you had in the cafe. They looked good to me. As for tipping, the King Spa policy is no tipping. I kind of like that!

One of the many pleasant aspects of bathing then eating is that the bathing process gives one the euphoric feeling that comes after a good workout...and yet all that was required was that you sit in a hot room. There's apetite, but it requires such little effort.

Last week, I went to a mineral bath and then ate about half-a-pound of raclette with loads of beef and butter. Felt great throughout.

Oddly enough, several efforts to organize an LTH schvitzathon have gone completely dry. Maybe this will inspire some. We've actually talked, the family, about doing a day here. I know Monica E. has expressed interest, so maybe we can work out an LTH family schvitz here. On the other hand, I'm still waiting for some more hardy boys to step up and join me for a good sweat here. I've been to this place on Cicero, and while it has none of the (enormous) history of the old Division St. Bath, and only some of the raffish element, it's worlds more spiffed up. Who's in?

Vital Information wrote:Oddly enough, several efforts to organize an LTH schvitzathon have gone completely dry. Maybe this will inspire some. We've actually talked, the family, about doing a day here. I know Monica E. has expressed interest, so maybe we can work out an LTH family schvitz here. On the other hand, I'm still waiting for some more hardy boys to step up and join me for a good sweat here. I've been to this place on Cicero, and while it has none of the (enormous) history of the old Division St. Bath, and only some of the raffish element, it's worlds more spiffed up. Who's in?

I'm totally down for an LTH family schvitz at King Spa, and I'm not just saying that because I want more ordering power at the restaurant.

Thinking further about King, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to join my friends when they went on Christmas day. It's a very social atmosphere, and the time in the "caves" would have been more fun if I'd had people to talk to. The co-ed environment is also a nice change from, say, Paradise.

I forgot to mention upthread that King could also be a place to work while drinking and eating. Wi-fi is free, and I saw a few laptops both in the main hall and restaurant.

We strongly considered a trip to King's Spa over the weekend, but we wanted to pair it with a trip to Burt's (never been) and I couldn't get a hold of them so I figured they were closed.

I've been to the Chicago Sweat Lodge a bunch of times. I ate in their cafe one time, but didn't like it too much. They're pretty near Smoque and Oaxaquena, so there are solid options nearby.

happy_stomach wrote:

Vital Information wrote:Oddly enough, several efforts to organize an LTH schvitzathon have gone completely dry. Maybe this will inspire some. We've actually talked, the family, about doing a day here. I know Monica E. has expressed interest, so maybe we can work out an LTH family schvitz here. On the other hand, I'm still waiting for some more hardy boys to step up and join me for a good sweat here. I've been to this place on Cicero, and while it has none of the (enormous) history of the old Division St. Bath, and only some of the raffish element, it's worlds more spiffed up. Who's in?

I'm totally down for an LTH family schvitz at King Spa, and I'm not just saying that because I want more ordering power at the restaurant.

Thinking further about King, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to join my friends when they went on Christmas day. It's a very social atmosphere, and the time in the "caves" would have been more fun if I'd had people to talk to. The co-ed environment is also a nice change from, say, Paradise.

Twisted. Now I have to diet in order to attend this LTH event

I forgot to mention upthread that King could also be a place to work while drinking and eating. Wi-fi is free, and I saw a few laptops both in the main hall and restaurant.

pairs4life wrote:

happy_stomach wrote:

Vital Information wrote:Oddly enough, several efforts to organize an LTH schvitzathon have gone completely dry. Maybe this will inspire some. We've actually talked, the family, about doing a day here. I know Monica E. has expressed interest, so maybe we can work out an LTH family schvitz here. On the other hand, I'm still waiting for some more hardy boys to step up and join me for a good sweat here. I've been to this place on Cicero, and while it has none of the (enormous) history of the old Division St. Bath, and only some of the raffish element, it's worlds more spiffed up. Who's in?

I'm totally down for an LTH family schvitz at King Spa, and I'm not just saying that because I want more ordering power at the restaurant.

Thinking further about King, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more had I been able to join my friends when they went on Christmas day. It's a very social atmosphere, and the time in the "caves" would have been more fun if I'd had people to talk to. The co-ed environment is also a nice change from, say, Paradise.

Twisted. Now I have to diet in order to attend this LTH event

I forgot to mention upthread that King could also be a place to work while drinking and eating. Wi-fi is free, and I saw a few laptops both in the main hall and restaurant.

Quoting can be tricky. For the record, the statement in bold is Ava's, not mine. I don't want anyone getting the crazy idea that I'm dieting.

happy_stomach wrote:I don't want anyone getting the crazy idea that I'm dieting.

If you lost very much weight, you'd be inside out.

I'm trying to coordinate some dates for an LTH family day at King Spa. It would likely be on a weekend. Please PM me or respond in this thread if interested.

As to Chicago Sweatlodge, I'm also game, and suggested an outing there may make more sense at night or on a weekday (but am somewhat flexible). I'm gonna make a thread for the Sweatlodge, PM me or respond in that thread if interested. If there's enough interest, e.g., at least a few people, I'll set something up.